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With the continuous development of antibacterial nanotechnology, nanoparticle-mediated photothermal therapy (PTT) could treat dental implant bacterial infections. Here, a carbon quantum dots (CQDs) loading penicillin (CQDs@penicillin) was constructed as an innovative nanoplatforms to confer promising PTT and delivery of antibiotics. In this nanosystem, CQDs with distinct antibacterial application performance were utilized as an ideal nanocarrier for drug loading, evoking photothermal effects to generate heat under near-infrared (NIR) irradiation. The delivery of penicillin could induce damage to the bacterial cell wall and play a bactericidal effect during the reproduction period of bacterial cells. The antibacterial effects in vitro implied that CQDs@penicillin could significantly kill bacterial cells without severe toxicity. This study proposes a feasible therapeutic strategy for the delivery of antibiotics to dental implant bacterial infections and simultaneously the PTT effect.

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) can enter the environment through various routes. Given the emerging importance of PPCP contaminants in China, we used semi-structured interviews to probe Chinese scientists’ perspectives, opinions, and attitudes on current and future PPCP research needs. We interviewed 14 respondents, nearly all of whom recognized the potential for adverse effects on human and ecosystem health even though current scientific evidence supporting harmful outcomes was viewed as tentative. Respondents identified poor disposal practices at hospitals and PPCP factories as important targets for focused control measures that could have high impact. Some thought public media could be used to build awareness of PPCPs among citizens; others thought that accurate information needed to be provided directly to policymakers and regulators. To make appropriate and cost-effective decisions regarding PPCP discharge to the environment, cross-disciplinary cooperation will be needed between Chinese environmental scientists, medical scientists, engineers, and economists.